Grinding-mill.



M. E. ROZELLE.

GRINDING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.2, 1911.

Patented Nov. 11

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

cnLumnin PLANQGRAPII CUJWASHINDTON. I). c.

' M. E. ROZELLE.

GRINDING MILL.

APPLICATION TILED NOV. 2, 1911.

1,978,517, Patented Nov. 11, 1913 2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARION EUGENE ROZELLE, OF CHAMBERSBURG, PENNEYLVANIA.

GRINDING-MILL.

mill can also be used to advantage in other connections.

The invention is based upon the fact that the flour contained in iniddlings or similar stock can be reduced to a fine state of subdivision by a comparatively gentle rubbing action. Middlings may be finely and easily reduced by a gentle rubbing of the same bea tween the fingers or against the palm of the hand, but of course such a soft action on the stock cannot affect the fibrous matters, and for that reason the separation of the fibrous matters from the floury matters is considerably facilitated. ln the ordinary grinding mills, however, both the fibrousandfloury parts of the stock are subjected to a very harsh grinding or disintegrating operation between metal or stone surfaces and the like, with the resnltthat the fiber and the flour are bot-h disintegrated, practically to the same extent. Further, the harsh action of the grinding surfaces between which the stock is disintegrated causes a large amount of line flour, existing in a free condition in the stock to be treated, to be reconverted into middlings, owing to the flaking action of the grinding surfaces on the flour and fiber. A satisfactory rounding up or granulation of the particles oistock, such as will enable the stock to undergo an efiective sifting op eration, is therefore prevented.

According to the present invention, I do not grind the stock harshly against hard grinding surfaces, but on the other hand I. cause separate bodies of stock to contact directly with each other in such a manner as to produce a gentle rubbing action such as will reduce the flour particles to a line state of sub-division without however finely disinte 'rating the fibrous matters. In the i1nproved grinding mill, the entering stock is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 2, 1911.

Patented Nov. 11, 1.913.

Serial No. 658,192.

divided into two bodies, one of which is substantially stationary while the other rotates directly in contact with it, said bodies being pressed together by means of a screw c0nveyer or the like in order that the rubbing action may be sufficiently thorough although always gentle in its eilect. Means are provided at the edges of the bodies of stock for discharging the stock as it is suificiently re duced. Provision is also made for varying the force by which the two bodies of stock are held in rubbing contact, so that the operation of the machine may be regulated to a nicety.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a grind ing mill or disintegrator embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a detail face view of the rotary stock carrying iember; Fig. 3 is a detail face view ofthe fixed stock holding member; and, Fig. a is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section of a .machine of somewhat modified form.

Referring to the drawing, A indicates the casingof the mill, said casing having an upwardly directed feed hopper B at one end and a downwardly directed delivery spout U at the opposite end. J ournaled longitudinally in the machine is a shaft 1) adapt-ed to be rotated by a beltpulley E. The shaft D is journaled outside of the mill casing in bearings e and it extends into the main portion of the casing where it carries conveyor flights F intended to feed toward the discharge end of the mill, the stock entering the casing by means of the hopper B. The conveyer flights push the stock longitudinally through the casing in a compressed condition, and this stock is thereby packed into a space or chamber G which is formed in part by a portion of the casing wall and in part by a rotary disk-like member H ournaled in the discharge end of the casing and fitting over the end of the shaft D. The rotary disk H is keyed to the shaft D'by means ofa key 71 so as to be rotated by said shaft, but the connection is such that the disk can slide longitudinally with reference to, the shaft, whereby the space or pocket G formed between the peripheral portion of the disk and the adjacent portion of the casing wall is increased and decreased in width. The space or pocket G is defined in part by the main portions of the disk and casing and in part by annular flanges A, H respectively,

which flanges are normally held in close proximity to each other by means suchas a counter-weight acting on the disk H and urging it in the direction of the inlet end of the casing, in opposition to the body of stock passing toward the discharge end of the casing by the action of the conveyer F. In the embodiment shown, the counterweighting device comprises a lever 2' pivoted a; i to the detachable bearing bracket 2' in which the disk H is j ournaled by means of a stub shaft 72/ formed integral with the hub portion if of such disk. The pivoted lever i bears against a bearing plate which in turn pushes against a thrust bearin interposed bet-ween the plate j and the adjacent end of the stub shaft 71.. By placing aweight to at the desired point in the laterally directed portion '2'" of the lever i, the lever will act on the thrust bearing is with a force which will hold said bearing and the disk I in the desired position longitudinally of the casing.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the adjacent portions of the disk and casing are each provided with a series of pockets which, when the stock is forced into the space G, form adjacent layers or bodies of stock one of which (carried by a portion of the casing) being relatively stationary while the other (carried by the rotating disk H) is rotated in contact with the stationary body or layer of stock. The pockets formed on the face of the disk H are preferably created by providing a plurality of radial ribs 1 on the face of the disk, said ribs extending outward from the body of the disk to a distance which is preferably about one half of the height of the upstanding peripheral flange H. The pockets of the casing are formed in a similar manner by means of ribs 1" disposed radially of an annular surface a on the casing defined at its outer periphery by the flange A. The rotary pockets 2'. 6. those of the disk H are preferably wider than the fixed pockets on the casing surface a, and they are also considerably longer than the casing pockets inasmuch as the disk pocket extend substantially to the hub portion of the disk while the casing surface a is relatively narrow to permit the passage of the stock through the casing and directly against the middle portion of the rotary disk, whence such stock passes in a lateral or radial direction into the annular space G. The space G, as before explained, has an annular discharge space between the flanges H, A,

which discharge space discharges the stock into the discharge portion of the casing with which the discharge spout C is associated.

The operation of the mill is substantially as follows: Stock is fed into the casing A by way of the spout or hopper B, and the rotation of the conveyer F by means of the shaft D will cause the body of stock in the main portion of the casing to be forcibly pressed against the adjacent pocketed face of the rotating disk H, the stock being thereby deflected radially so as to pack into the annular space G and be sealed or confined and compacted in a dense mass by means of the closely adjacent flanges H, A. It will be understood that the stock forced against the rotating disk and pack ing into the annular space between the disk and the surface a of the casing will be retained in part by the pockets formed by the ribs 1 7*, said pockets anchoring a portion of the stock against the corresponding surfaces in the form of condensed and compacted bodies or layers which extend out beyond the outer edges of the pocket ribs, that layer formed against the surface a being comparatively stationary while the layer formed against the rotating disk revolves in contact with the stationary layer. in this manner, the stock particles sealed or confined by the cooperating flanges of the disk and easing form unitary grinding bodies which are positively anchored. It is the material which is first introduced to the machine that fills the pockets and remains therein to form unitary and anchored grinding bodies. This initial material is held pocketed as long as any material is being fed to the machine. After such grinding bodies are formed, the remaining material passes between the same and is ground by the surfaces of the unitary bodies of stock;

Vfhile this is sufiiciently effective to disintegrate thoroughly the floury matters in fractured middlings and the like, the fibrous matters will not be affected to an appreciable extent, and they therefore, remain in practically their original condition so that subsequently they will not sift through the bolting cloths. As the rubbing action proceeds and the stock becomes sufficiently fine it is discharged through the comparatively small opening between the flanges H, A whence it passes out of the mill.

In the form shown in Fig. 4, the ribs on the cooperating stock carrying members are dispensed with and the flanges H, A are relied upon for a sufficient sealing and pocketing of the stock where the rubbing action occurs. In this case, the adjacent faces of the disk and easing wall are perfectly smooth, but it has been found that owing to the arrangement of the peripheral flanges, the stock will pack or mat satisfactorily against the opposing surfaces of the mill in order to present contacting bodies or layers of stock one of which is rub-bed against the other.

in case it is not convenient for the miller to arrange the counter-weight 10 above the mill, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the lever may be removed from the position in which it overhangs the mill, and then by turning the bea "ing 2' through 180 the lever may be placed inthe position shown in dotted lines, with the weight holding arm 2' directed away fromthe lower end portion of the mill. The adjustment of the bearing 2' on which the lever is pivoted is provided for by the bolts 2' passing through the bearing bracket and coacting with identical threaded sockets i formed in the discharge section of the casing wall.

In certain cases it may be advisable to form the stationary stock holding element separate from the casing, or to reverse the relation of the stationary and rotary elements with reference to that shown in the drawing' and of course still further modifications of tie construction may be adopted without departing from my inventive idea, the scope of which is defined in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a grinding mill, the combination of opposing stock retaining surfaces, peripheral flanges and radial ribs associated with said surfaces, and means to force the stock between said surfaces radially toward said flanges which retain a body of the stock and cause it to compact on said surfaces, said ribs adapted to anchor the body of compacted stock to the said surfaces thereby forming grinding units composed of the stock itself.

2. In a grinding mill, the combination of opposing stock retaining surfaces, peripheral flanges and radial ribs associated with said surfaces, and means to force the stock between said surfaces radially toward said flanges which retain a body of the stock and cause it to compact on said surfaces, said ribs being less advanced than said flanges and adapted to anchor the body of compacted stock to the said surfaces thereby forming grinding units composed of the stock itself.

3. In a grinding mill, a casing provided with a stationary stock anchoring surface, a rotary stock anchoring surface opposing the same, annular flanges carried by said surfaces and operative to confine and rigidly anchor a portion of the stock in bodies on 'said surfaces, means to feed the stock to be ground between said bodies, and means urging one of said stock anchoring surfaces toward the other.

l. In a grinding mill, the combination of a rotary disk having peripheral flanges and radial ribs to anchor the stock and retainit thereon in a body or layer, means to press the stock against said disk, and means associated with said casing to retain a portion of the stock forced toward said disk and to present it in a body or layer to the bodyor layer on the disk.

5. In a grinding mill, the combination of a casing having a stock anchoring surface disposed in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the casing, and a rotary disk-like member journaled in the casing compacted, stock being anchored to the surfaces by means of said radial ribs.

6. in a grinding m1ll, the combmation of a casing having an annular stock retaining surface disposed in a plane perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the casing, a rotary disk-like member journaled in the casing and having a stock retaining portion opposing that of the casing, and cooperating flanges associated with the coiiperating surfaces of the disk and casing and serving to seal or confine the stock in opposing bodies or layers.

7. In a grinding mill, the combination of a casing having a stock retaining chamber, a shaft rotatable in the casing, a yieldingly held disk-like member rotated by said shaft but movable longitudinally with respect to the same and coacting with the surface of said chamber, and a conveyer carried by said shaft to force the stock toward said chamber and disklike member.

8. In a grinding mill, the combination of a casing having a stock retaining chamber, a shaft rotatable in the casing, a yieldingly held disk-like member coacting with the surface of said chamber and having a hub keyed to but movable longitudinally of said shaft, and a conveyer on said shaft to force the stock toward said chamber and disk-like member.

9. In a grinding mill, the combination of a casing having a stock retaining chamber, a shaft rotatable in the casing, a yieldingly held disk-like member coacting with the surface of said chamber and having a hub keyed to but movable longitudinally of said shaft, said disk-like member being journaled in the casing by means of a stub shaft extending from its hub, and a conveyor carried by the first mentioned shaft to force the stock toward said chamber and disk-like member.

10. In a grinding mill, the combination of a casing having an annular surface located in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the casing, said surface being provided with radial ribs forming pockets, and having at its outer peripheral portion an annular flange, a disk rotatable in the casing and likewise having a pcriphereal flange, extending adjacent said first named flange, said disk being likewise provided with radial ribs forming pockets, and a conveyer in the casing to force the stock against the pocketed face of the disk and into the space between the disk and the pocketed surface of the casing.

11. The method of disintegrating middlings and the like, which comprises forming adjacent unitary bodies of anchored and compacted stock, rotating one of such bodies relatively to the other while maintaining their adjacent relation and feeding stock to be ground between said bodies whereby a general rubbing action of stock against stock is produced. 7

12. In a grinding mill, the combination of a casing having a stock anchoring surface, a disk rotatable in the casing and having a stock anchoring surface to cooperate with said first named surface, a bracket bearing 'for said disk on the end of the casing, and a counter-weight lever mounted on said MARION EUGENE ROZELLE.

Witnesses JNo. A. DIEHL,

GEO. E. DIEHL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gornmissioner of ratents, Washington, 13; C1 

